Soviet Union: Crackdown on Cronyism

Crackdown on Cronyism

Mikhail Gorbachev's public campaign against corruption in the Soviet Union is now touching the friends of former President Leonid Brezhnev and his family. Acquaintances of Brezhnev's daughter Galina and his son Yuri are reportedly being questioned about bribery involving the use of posh hotel rooms and of restaurants for private banquets attended by well-connected figures from the Brezhnev era. The state-controlled press, without mentioning Brezhnev by name, has criticized the cronyism fostered during his 18-year rule.

There is also a whiff of scandal involving some of Moscow's better-known bathhouses, traditional Russian meeting places for relaxation and banter. In a country where...